Smoke-consumer.



NOJ 7|3,238. Patented N ov. I902.

- C. E. PADGETT, A. M. COWHAM &. W. H. ALLEN.

SMOKE CONSUMER.

(Application filed Oct. 14, 1901.) (No- Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Inventors.- 9 w \M Q W he-sse s.

(No Model.)

Witnesses.

c. E. PADGETT, A. M. CUWHAM & W.

SMOKE consumes.

(Application filed 06b. 14, 1901.)

H. 'ALLEN.

2 Sheets-Shet 2.

Inyenfbrs.

W 0....5 Q/W W am...

Patented Nov. ll, l902' UNirn STATES AraNr FFICE.

CHARLES E. PADGETT, ARTHUR M. COtVHAM, AND \VILLIAM H. ALLEN, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS; SAID COWHAM AND ALLEN ASSIGNORS TO SAID PAD GETT.

SMOKE-CONSUMER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 713,238, dated November11, 1902. Application filed October 14, 190l. Serial No. 78,562. (Nomodel.)

To all whom 212'; may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES E. PADGETT,

ARTHUR M. CoWHAM, and WILLIAM H. AL-

LEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Smoke-Consumers, of which the following is aspecification.

It is well known that with perfect com bustion there is practically nosmoke, and perfoot combustion can be secured where the supply of oxygenor air is sufficient to suit the requirements of the fuel being burned.The primary object of our invention is to [5 supply air in regulatedquantities and under proper conditions to the fire-pot of a furnace,boiler, or other heating appliance, so that perfect and completecombustion, so far as it is practicable to obtain the same, will be ob-2o tained; to have the blast of supply air projected into the furnace insuch manner as to pass over the body of the fuel in the fire-pot andintermingle with the esc pingproducts of combustion, so as to insur acombustion that will to all intents and purposes eliminate smoke; tocontrol and regulate the blast of projected air thrown into thefire-pot, so as to furnish the amount required for insuring perfectcombustion and an incandescent heat; to construct and arrange theair-supply means in such manner as to project either a blast of cold airor a blast of hot air or a commingled blast of hot and cold air and havethe blast,

no matter of what character, regulated and- 5 controlled as to theamount forced into the fire-pot and over the bed of fuel therein; todirect and deflect the blast of air projected into the fire, so as toproduce the most advantageous and best results in commingling the supplyof projected air With the escaped prodnets of combustion for preventingthe smoke, and to improve generally the construction, arrangement, andoperation of the several parts or elements which enter into theapparatus as a whole; and the invention consists in the features ofconstruction and the combination of parts hereinafter described andpointed out as new. p

In the drawings which illustrate an application of the invention to thefurnace of a tu- I bular boiler, Figure l is an end elevation of afurnace and boiler with the invention or improvement applied thereto;Fig. 2, a side sectional elevation of the same, showing one of the pipesfrom the pressure-blower entered into the combustion-chamber of thefurnace; Fig. 3, a cross-section of the furnace in front of thedepending or rear bridge-wall; Fig. 4, a sectional elevation ofadischarge-nozzlefor projecting a blast of air under pressure into thefire-box; Fig. 5, a top or plan view of the nozzle shown in Fig. 4; Fig.6, a detail in section showing a modification of the discharge end ofthe nozzle; Fig. 7, a detail showing a gate or valve for regulating theblast, and Fig. 8 a detail showing a relief for overpressure in theblast-pipe.

The furnace represented in the drawings has walls A of brick orotherwise and of the ordinary construction for the furnaces ofhorizontal'tubular boilers. The furnace has a fire-pot B, with anash-pit B beneath the grate-bars of the fire-pot, and the front of thefurnace has feeding-doors a for access to the fire-pot and doors a foraccess to the ash-pit. At the rear of the grate is a bridge-wall C, asusual, with an opening or space 0 between its top and the boiler, and atthe rear of the front or ordinary bridgewall C is a secondarybridge-wall C, depending from the under side of the boiler and having anarch C on its under side, and between the primaryorfront bridge-wall andthe secondary or rear bridge- Wall is a passage 0 for the escaping heatandvapors from the fire-pot into the combustioncharnber. Thecombustion-chamber D extends from the primary or front bridge-wallbeneath the secondary or rear bridge-wall to the rear end of the boiler,and the heat and vapors from the fire-pot pass over the primary or frontbridge-wall and under the inverted secondary or rear bridge-wall, givinga course of travel for the heat by which. the action thereof on theboiler will give increased results, and at'the same time the twobridgewalls serve to carry the flame and products of combustion upwardand downward, so as to be subjected more efficiently to the action ofthe blasts of air for com mingling of the air and the products ofcombustion, so that in the passage through the combustion-chamber thesmoke products will be consumed and eliminated. The parts so fardescribed, with the exception of the secondary or inverted rearbridge-wall, can be of any ordinary and well-known forms of constructionand arrangement for furnaces having horizontal or tubular boilers E ofthe usual construction;

The air for insuring combustion of the products escaping from the fuelis to be supplied to the fire-pot under pressure, and for this purposeany usual and well-known means for creating pressure can be employed. Asshown, a centrifugal or blower fan F is used for supplying the air underpressure, such fan being of any well-known type and driven by a belt d,running overa pulley or drivingwheel e, or in any other suitable mannerfrom a source of power. The discharge or eduction f of the fan hasconnected therewith a pipe or tube G, which, as shown, extends down andforwardly into the combustionchamber of the furnace and returns andextends up and is connected to a pipe H; but it could be otherwisearranged so as to enter the furnace and be subjected to the heat forproducing hot air to be carried and projected into the fire-pot throughthe pipe H and the blast-pipe, which communicates with the firepot. Thedischarge or eduction f of the fan has two outlets, one of which isconnected to the pipe G and the other of which has connected thereto ashort pipe f, leading to a coupling f, by which the pipe G is connectedwith the pipe H, giving the pipe H a direct communication with theeduction or discharge of the fan through the short pipe f and also adirect connection for hot air, by which arrangement either hot air orcold air or a mixture of hot and cold air can pass through the pipe H tothe blast-pipe for the fire-pot. The pipe G has therein a gate or othervalve g, by means of which the quantity of air passing through the pipeG can be controlled and regulated, and the pipe f has therein a gate orother valve h, by means of which the escape of air direct from the faninto the pipe H can be shut off entirely or can be partially shut offand regulated and controlled, it being understood that when hot air isto be supplied the valve g is opened and the valve h is closed, and whencold air is to be supplied the valve 9 is closed and the valve h isopened, and for a mixture of hot and cold air both valves can be openedor only partially closed.

The pipe H is connected with a branch t'of a Y connection at the end ofthe blast-supply pipe I, and the other branch z" of the Y connection hasat its end a valve 11 which when the pressure .is not excessive remainsclosed; but in case of overpressure from the closing of the valves orotherwise the extra pressure operates to automatically open the valve 11for the extra amount of air to escape, thereby rendering it impossibleto force through the pipe I into the fire pot an excess of air over whatis required for perfect and complete combustion. The pipe I has thereina regulating and controlling gate or valve i by means of which theamount of air forced through the pipe can be regulated and controlled.The pipe I is connected to and has communication with a horizontalheader J, which, as shown, is of a rectangular shape in cross-section,but could be otherwise formed. The header J has on its rear sideadjacent to the furnace a thimble or rim for the attachmentofconnecting-tubes K, the arrangement shown providing a connecting-tubeover each feed-door of the furnace equidistant from the longitudinalvertical center of the fire-pot. Each tube K has located and operatedtherein a regulating and controlling gate or valve k, which works in agnideway It on the inside of the tube, and each gate or valve has on itsside face on one side a scale by which the degree of opening in theconnecting-tube for the passage of air through the tube can be regulatedto suit the requirements for the quantity of air to be projected intothe firepot to create perfect combustion therein. The gates or valves 9,h, and i are of the same general construction as the gate or valve it,each having on its face a scale similar to the scale on the face of thevalves 70, so that the degree of opening in the pipes G, H, and I can beregulated as desired, and this arrangement of scale-controlled orregulatin g gates or valves enables the supply of air to be properly andcorrectly estimated by a careful adjustment of the several gates orvalves to regulate or control the amount of air passing through thepipes into the header and from the header into the fire-pot.

The front end of each connecting-tube H in the construction shown entersa tube or thimble L, passing through the front wall of the furnace, eachtube or thimble having a screw thread on its front end in theconstruction shown to receive a discharge-nozzle M, the mouth at ofwhich preferably is of a flat or fan shape, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5;but other shapes of discharge-nozzle can be emp1oyed--as, for instance,a discharge-nozzle M, having a circular or full month m, as shown inFig. 6; but with any form of construction for the nozzle it has to beturned so as to have a deflection downward, as shown in the drawings, inorder to project the blast of air from each nozzle downwardly andrearwardly over the fuel on the grate. The proj ection of thedischarge-blast of air from each nozzle is such as to direct the blastof air properly into and over thefuel on the grate, so as to comminglethe supply of air with the escaped products of combustion and furnishsufiicient oxygen to insure perfect combustion and prevent the escape ofsmoke to any marked or appreciable extent, as the smokeproducingproducts will be effectually consumed by the increased quantities of airsupplied through the discharge-nozzles, and this extra supply of air notonly eflectually consumes the escaped products of combustion, butincreases the heat, creating, in fact, an incandescent heat which alsoaids materially the prevention of smoke, as with incandescent or whiteheat the products of combustion which cause smoke are consumed. Thetubes or thimbles' L in the arrangement shown are held in place in thewallby the lock-nuts Z on the outer and inner ends of the tubes orthimbles, and, as shown, the lock-nut on the outer end of the tube orthimble abuts against a metal plate encircling the tube.

In operation the nozzles are tur'ned or adjusted so as to give theproper direction for the projection of the blast to enter and pass overthe fuel on the grate, and when the nozzles are in place the centrifugalor blower fan or other pressureproducing means is started, forcing aireither through the pipe G to be heated or direct through the pipe H intothe conducting or air-blast pipe I, as already described. The createdblast of air is forced into the header J and from the header passesthrough the connecting-tubes and thimbles and the discharge-nozzles intothe fire-box in the proper amount for creating and maintaining perfectcombustion, the amount of air supplied being regulated and controlled bythe gates or valves in the various pipes, as already described, and thisblast of air can be maintained as long as it is desired to operate thefurnace. The fresh air thus supplied under pressure and projected intothe fire-pot through the nozzle furnishes the requisite amount ofadditional oxygen necessary to commingle with the escaping products ofcombustion to increase the heat and insure the elimination of smoke. Theregulating and controlling graduated gates or dampers enable a perfectcontrol of the delivered air to be secured, so that the amount of airsupplied to the fire-pot will be in quantities sufficient for perfectcombustion without any injurious excess, and the gates, dampers, orvalves can be located wherever desired in the various pipes between theblower and the discharge-nozzles for the blast, so long as they arewithin reach of the operator in charge of the boiler and furnace orsubject to the control of the operator. The injectors ordischarge-nozzles can be located one on each side of the verticallongitudinal center of the fire-pot, or more than one injector ordischarge-nozzle can be used, though preferably and in general use aninjector or dischargenozzle on each side is all that will be required,and instead of having the injectors or discharge-nozzles enter thefire-pot from the front they could be entered from the side or from thetop, so long as the deflection of the discharge is such as to furnish asupply of air to be projected over the fuel on the grate and actproperly on the escaping products of combustion to create perfectcombustion and practically consume the carbonaceous products thatordinarily escape as smoke.

The operation of the apparatus as a whole can be varied to suit thelocation and style of the heating appliance with which the apparatus isto be used, and the fan or other pressure-producing means can bearranged to suit the convenience of the operator and the location of theheating appliance. The quantity of air projected into the fire-pot is tobe regulated and controlled to suit the requirements of the fuel and soas to render the furnace or other heating appliance practicallysmokeless by causing a perfect combustion, and thereby consuming thecarbonaceous products of combustion, and by properly regulating andcontrolling the air-blast the apparatus is applicable to all sorts offuels and to furnaces and heating appliances generally. The apparatuscan be connected with furnaces and other heaters of ordinary andwell-known forms of construction and will be operative therewith whenthe forceblast is properly regulated and controlled to suit the furnaceand the fuel used, it being understood that the volume of air admittedshould be proportioned to add to the combustible nature of the fuelemployed, some kinds of fuel throwing 06 more carbon or carbonaceousproducts than others and require a greater volume of air to createperfect combustion and consume the carbonaceous products, so as topractically eliminate smoke, and the volume of air can be accuratelyregulated and controlled as required for the fuel by the graduatedgates,dampers,or valves, thereby rendering the apparatus eflicient,practical, and reliable for eliminating smoke by creating perfectcombustion.

We claim 1. In a smoke-consumer, the combination of an air-blast pipeleading from a source of airsupply under pressure, a horizontalcrossheader at the front and outside of the furnace into which thesupply-pipe leads, a deliverytube leading from the cross-header into thefurnace at the front above the grate, a dis- ICC charge-nozzle having afull exit or mouth for projecting'a solid stream of air and connectedwith the terminal of the delivery-tube in the fire-pot and having adeflection for projecting the stream of air under pressure downwardlyand over the bed of fuel in the fire-pot, the stream of air flowingforward under pressure in the direction to only discharge finally abovethe grate, and a scaled graduatingvalve controlling the passage of airthrough the delivery-tube for discharge at the nozzle, substantially asdescribed.

2. In asmoke-consumer, the combination of an air-blast pipe leading froma source of airsupply under pressure, a horizontal crossheaderat thefront and outside of the furnace, having a greater diameter than thediameter of the blast-pipe and into which the blast-pipe leads,delivery-tubes, one at each end of and leading from the header into thefire-pot, a nozzle for each delivery-tube at its entered terminal in thefire-pot, each nozzle having a full exit or mouth for projecting a solidstream of air and having a downward deflection for projecting the streamof air downwardly and rearwardly above the bed of fuel in the fire-pot,the stream of air flowing forward under pressure in the direction toonly discharge finally above the grate, and a scaled graduating-valvefor each delivery-tube controlling the passage of air through thedelivery-tube for discharge at the nozzle, substantially as described.

3. In a smoke-consumer, the combination of an air-blast pipe, atpressure-blower, a pipe connecting the discharge of the pressureblowerwith the air-blast pipe, a scaled graduating-valve in the air-blastpipe, a horizontal cross-header at the front and outside of the furnaceand into which the blast-pipe leads, delivery-tubes leading from theheader into the fire-pot of the furnace above the grate, an adjustablenozzle on the inner end of each delivery-tube within the fire-pot andhaving afull exit or mouth for projecting a solid stream of air andhaving a deflection for projecting the stream of air over the bed offuel in the fire-pot, the stream of air flowing forward under pressurein the direction to only discharge finally above the grate, and a scaledgraduating-valve in each delivery-tube controlling the passage of airthrough the tube for discharge from the nozzle, substantially asdescribed.

4. In asmoke-consumer, the combination of an air-blast pipe, apressure-blower, a pipe connecting the discharge of the pressureblowerwith the air-blast pipe, a scaled graduating-valve in the pipe of thedischarge from the blower, a pipe connected with the discharge of theblower and leading into the furnace and subjected to the heat of thefurnace and connected with the air-blast pipe, a scaled graduating-valvein the pipe leading into the furnace, ahorizontal cross-headerat thefront and outside of the furnace and into which the air-blast pipeleads, delivery-tubes leading from the header into the fire-pot of thefurnace above the grate, an adjustable nozzle on the inner end of eachdelivery-tube within the fire-pot and having a full exit or mouth forprojecting a solid stream of air and having a deflection therein forprojecting the stream of air over the bed of fuel in the firepot, thestream of air flowing forward under pressure in the direction to onlydischarge finally above the fuel, and scaled graduatingvalvescontrolling the pressure of air passing through the delivery-tubes fordischarge at the nozzles, substantially as described.

5. In asmoke-consumer, the combination of an air-blast pipe leading froma source of airsupply under pressure, a two-branch connection interposedin the blast-pipe, one branch forming an elbow for the air-blast pipe,and the other branch having a pressure-release valve at its end, ahorizontal cross-header at the front and outside of the furnace and intowhich the air-blast pipe leads, delivery-tubes leading from the headerinto the fire-pot above the grate, a discharge-nozzle on the inner endof each delivery-tube in the fire-pot, and having a full exit or mouthfor projecting a solid stream of air, and a scaled graduating-valvecontrolling the pressure of air passing through each delivery-tube fordischarge from the nozzle, substantially as described.

6. In a smoke-consumer, the combination of an air-blast pipe leadingfrom a source of airsupply under pressure, a horizontal crossheader atthe front and outside of the furnace and into which the blast-pipeleads, two delivery-pipes leading from the header and entering thefurnace above the grate, one on each side of the vertical center of thefire-pot, a discharge-nozzle having a full exit or mouth for projectinga stream of air, one for each deliverytube, each nozzle adjustablyconnected with its tube and havinga downward deflection discharging thestream of air downwardly and over the fuel in the fire-pot, the streamof air flowing forward under pressure in the direction to only dischargefinally above the grate, and ascaled graduating gate or valve for eachdelivery-tube controlling the discharge of air from the nozzle,substantially as described.

7. In a smoke-consumer, the combination of an air-blast pipe, apressure-blower connected with the air-blast pipe, a horizontalcrossheader at the front and outside of the furnace and into which theair-blast pipe leads, delivery-tubes leading from the header, one oneach side of its Vertical center, each tube entering the fire-pot of thefurnace above the grate, a discharge-nozzle having a full exit or mouth,for projecting a solid stream of air at the inner end of eachdelivery-tube, 'discharging downwardly into and over the bed of fuel,the stream of air flowing forward under pressure in the direction toonly dis charge finally above the grate, a scaled graduating gate orvalve for each delivery-tube controlling the passage of air through thedischarge-nozzle, a pressure-relief valve for the air-blast pipe, and ascaled graduating gate or valve controlling and regulating the amount ofair passing to the header for discharging a regulated blast of air fromeach nozzle to commingle with the escaping products of combustion in thefire-pot and consume the products of combustion, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a smoke-consumer, the combination of an air-blast pipe,apressure-blower,a pipe connecting the discharge of the pressure-blowerwith the air-blast pipe, a scaled graduatingvalve in the discharge-pipefrom the blower, a pipe connected with the discharge-pipe of the blowerand leading into the furnace and subjected to the heat of the furnace,and connected with the air-blast pipe, a scaled graduating-valve in thepipe leading into the furnace, a horizontal cross-header at the frontand outside of the furnace and into which the air-blast pipe leads,delivery-tubes leading from the header into the fire-pot above thegrate, a discharge-nozzle, having a full exit pressure of air to thenozzles,and a depending IO or mouth for projecting asolid stream of air,bridge-Wall at the rear of the primary bridge on the end of eachdelivery-tube within the wall, substantially as described. fire-pot,each nozzle having a deflection for CHARLES E. PADGETT, 5 projecting thestream of air over the bed of ARTHUR M. COWHAM. fuel in the fire-pot,the stream of air flowing WILLIAM H. ALLEN. forward under pressure inthe direction to only I Witnesses:

discharge finally above the grate, a scaled OSCAR W. BOND, valve in eachdelivery-tube controlling the GORDON H. NOTT.

